While we love to play the American lotteries online, there are at least 10 answers to questions that every lottery player should know.

The most popular lotto games to play are without a doubt the US Powerball lottery and the Mega Millions. While we know both these incredible lotteries offer up large jackpots on any given draw, there are a few questions that pop up from time to time.

Known for their big jackpots and life-changing prizes, here are answers to some of your most burning Powerball and Mega Millions questions:

1. How do the US Powerball and Mega Millions jackpots get so big?

The minimum jackpot for the US Powerball lottery and the Mega Millions lottery is $40 million. If the jackpot isn’t won, it rolls over. Both of these incredible American lotto games have no jackpot cap - so the jackpot keeps growing until it’s won. With the jackpot rolling until it gets won, they have a tendency to break world-records like we saw when the Powerball reached $1.56 billion and the Mega Millions coming close finally reaching $1.53 billion.

2. Are both Mega Millions and Powerball jackpots records?

$1.537 billion Mega Millions won on October 23, 2018, is the second largest jackpot in the world. The winning ticket for this historic jackpot was sold in South Carolina with the winner keeping their identity private.

The biggest jackpot ever won was jaw-dropping $1.56 billion US Powerball jackpot that was won on the 13th January 2016. Three US Powerball ticket holders shared the record-breaking prize. They came from California, Florida, and Tennessee.

3. What can I win with US Powerball?

You can still win other prizes! It’s not just the jackpot that’s up for grabs, as both the US Powerball and the Mega Millions lottery has 9 prize categories.

Besides the life-changing jackpot (which everyone has their eye on!), the second and third place prize is pretty substantial as well.

By correctly matching the 5 main numbers on the Mega Millions or the US Powerball you will see yourself $1,000,000 richer. It just goes to show, you don’t have to win the jackpot on these two lotto games to become an instant millionaire!

For Powerball and Mega Millions lottery players who purchase their lottery tickets in America, winners can remain anonymous in six states. These states are Delaware, Kansas, Maryland, North Dakota, Ohio and South Carolina.

In Arizona, lottery winners who win more than $600 can keep their names secret for 90 days after claiming prizes, but after that, the names are made public. Of course, you could always claim your Powerball or Mega Millions jackpot win anonymously if you create a Trust like we’ve seen happen in the past.

The beauty of playing the American lotto games online via PlayUSALotteries.com is that your identity will automatically be private.

5. What are my chances of winning the Powerball jackpot?

As we all know, playing the lottery is a game of chance and if it was easy to win, everyone would be multi-millionaires.

Your chance of winning the big one is 1 in 292,201,338 – which is pretty standard when you consider just how large these jackpots get. To win the Powerball jackpot, you must match all 5 main numbers as well as the bonus Powerball number. Your overall odds of winning any prize are 1 in 25.

6. Are there any ways to improve my chances of winning?

There are certain things that could improve your chances of winning. For one thing, as most jackpot winners on both these games purchased Quickpick tickets, you might want to consider adding a few Quickpicks with your lucky lotto numbers.

By playing the American lotto games online here at PlayUSALotteries.com regularly you will automatically receive LottoPoints. This is our rewards program. Players earn ‘points’ on every cash transaction. Points accumulate over a 30-day cycle and can be redeemed for free lottery tickets.

By signing up to receive our newsletters will also ensure that you know about our latest special offers. These offers will give you the edge that could hopefully see you win the big one!

7. Where are the Mega Millions and Powerball drawings held?

Mega Millions drawings take place in Atlanta and Powerball drawings are held at Florida Lottery headquarters in Tallahassee.

On occasion, drawings are held at other locations to celebrate lottery milestones as we saw happen on July 19, 2014 draw. The draw took place at the Snake River Stampede Rodeo in Nampa, Idaho to commemorate that state lottery's 25th anniversary.

8. Can I buy a Mega Millions or Powerball ticket online?

Absolutely! This is where PlayUSALotteris.com comes in! You can play US Powerball, the Mega Millions lottery and all the biggest international lotteries from the comfort of your own home right here with us.

All you have to do is register online at PlayUSALotteries.com, select which lottery you would like to play, pick your lucky numbers or play a Quickpick and then follow the easy prompts to pay for your tickets. You will receive a confirmation email with your unique transaction I.D. and immediately after the draw, you will receive an automated results email. This email will not only inform you of the winning lottery numbers but it will also reflect any matches you may have. To claim your winnings all you have to do is click on the “claim winnings” button in the email.

9. If you win, is it better to take the cash option or the annuity?

It’s impossible to say for sure that one way is “better” than the other, as everyone’s circumstances are different. However, more often than not, most lottery jackpot winners do opt to take the once-off lump-sum pay-out.

10. What if I have a few more questions about playing the lottery online?

If you’ve got questions – we’ve got answers. If you still have a few burning questions about playing the lottery in general, click on the Live Support icon now. An extremely professional Customer Service Representative will answer all your questions.